


Banter

by straeon



Category: Emmerdale, robron
Genre: Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-17 02:46:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3512303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/straeon/pseuds/straeon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robert gets annoyed at third-wheeling with his boyfriend and 'the love of his life,' Adam.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Banter

If Robert heard the word banter one more time, he was going to … do something drastic.

They’d been in the pub for an hour already. When Robert suggested to Aaron they meet for a pint, he would’ve rather been alone with him for the whole night. But he knew Aaron was starting to worry that with all the time they spent alone, Robert was still ashamed. In no way was Robert ashamed of Aaron, and even though it had been awkward when people found out he was bisexual, he wasn’t ashamed of that either. He just didn’t like sharing Aaron with other people when they were together.

Which is exactly what he had been doing since they’d met up - and Adam had joined them.

Fucking Adam.

Aaron and Adam worked together every day while Robert spend much of his days at his new job wanting to be with Aaron. Yet when they could spend some time together – Aaron wants to share it with Adam?!

Robert sighed and rubbed his brow. They’re friends, he kept having to remind himself. It’s not like Robert had many friends, especially now, to have to share his time between them and Aaron. It wasn’t like he wanted Aaron to have to choose between him and the other people in his life – there were times where it had gotten close to that. But now it was getting comfortable, they were used to their relationship and Aaron was happy.

Don’t ruin it.

Under the table, Robert placed his hand on Aaron’s. Aaron gave him a smile and squeezed his hand back. God, Aaron’s smiles still made Robert’s heart jump.

Then his heart lurched when Aaron removed his hand to high five Adam.Fucking Adam.

Robert stood up suddenly.

“Where ya going?” Aaron asked.

“Uh… Victoria. I’m gonna see if she’s nearly done.”

“Hey, tell her I’m here, she’ll be right out!” Adam winked at Robert, who turned away with no response. At Adam and Aaron’s continued laughter over the toupee of a customer today, Robert sighed deeply.

 

“Hey, Rob,” Victoria looked up momentarily from her boiling saucepans. “You ok?”

“Yeah,” Robert leaned back dejectedly next to her.

“No, you’re not.” Victoria didn’t even need to look up. “Out with it.”

They’d gotten closer since Robert had explained everything to her about what had gone on. She’d been disappointed with him for cheating again, thinking he would never change and was as selfish as ever, which had hurt him, even though he deserved it. One of the positives of being back here in Emmerdale had always been that he was closer to Victoria. But after he’d told him he was bisexual, before any other family, it led to them talking about the past, relationships, their family and all the crap that went down with Robert. They were closer after that.

“Doesn’t it bother you how much time they spend together?”

“Huh?” Victoria stirred for a moment before looking up at him in confusion. “What, Aaron and Adam?”

“Yeah!”

“They’re best friends! They have been for ages, that’s not gonna change.” Victoria shrugged. “And I wouldn’t want it to, they mean so much to each other.”

“I don’t want that to change either!” Robert looked down at his hands. “I guess I wish Aaron would want to spend more time with me, alone.”

“Are you jealous? Of Adam?!” Victoria laughed.

Robert started pacing, getting frustrated at how awkward it was to talk about.

“You’re so lame, it’s nearly cute,” Victoria shook her head.

“I’m lame?!” Robert huffed. “Didn’t you say Adam’s the love of Aaron’s life and you’re not fussed that they spend all day together then go to the pub together too?”

“You are so bad at relationship stuff, Rob.”

“Hey, Aaron has no complaints.” Robert grinned.

“Yeah, ‘cuz you’re not saying this to him are you? You’re back here with me, spoiling my supper menu!”

“Well, like I said, he’s out there with Adam,” Robert said as if it was obvious.

“And you’re…”

“Bored of Adam! … No offence!”

“None taken,” Victoria smiled. “I’ve been there. And I’ve been there over Aaron and Adam even. But Adam and me, we actually talk now. Withouthaving to talk about bleedin’ scrap, thanks to Aaron.”

“Sooo…”

“Talk to him, Rob. And get over it,” Victoria gave him a fakely sweet smile. “And get outta my kitchen!”

“Fine, fine!” Robert went to leave. “You’ll be running this place some day, you know.” Victoria made a face. “You’ve got the listening to whinging down, you just need to work on how you present it.”

“Go talk to your boyfriend,” Victoria rolled her eyes.

 

“Robbehh!!” a tipsy Adam welcomed him back. “Whre’s Vic?!”

“Sorry, mate, cooking for this lot trumps you apparently,” Robert shrugged with his hands in his pockets.

“Sh’s not dun yet?!” Adam gave an exaggerated groan while Aaron laughed at his increasingly intoxicated friend and his boyfriend’s attempts to talk to him. Even though he felt bad about it, Robert’s impatience with them suddenly returned.

“I think I’m gonna go,” he smiled apologetically at Aaron as he grabbed his coat from next to him.

“Robert, we just got here,” Aaron furrowed his brow, puzzled.

“No, we didn’t,” Robert said, immediately regretting that he was sounding argumentative and petulant. “Uh, you stay if you want.”

Robert left out the front door, before he snapped at Aaron. He was being stupid, he knew, but he didn’t want to third wheel when he was out with his own boyfriend.

“Whuz ‘iz problum?!” came Adam’s voice behind him and Aaron mumbled something.

Pulling his coat around him, Robert sighed into the night sky, his breath appearing smokily before him. At least it was quieter out here and he could try to clear his mind. The better to think about what an idiot he was being.

“Oi,” Aaron’s voice came from behind him. He sighed as he stepped next to him. “Thought you were leaving.”

Robert shrugged as Aaron shuffled his feet.

“Orrr you can catch your death, I s’pose.” Aaron shrugged back. “But then, you might already be at risk of that.”

“Huh?”

“Back there, to Adam. You were pretty cold,” Aaron avoided his eyes. It was awkward bringing it up but Aaron didn’t keep quiet about things that displeased him either. “To me too, actually,” he added quieter.

Robert sighed, regretfully and moved forward to Aaron, wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Is this warm enough?” Robert whispered

“No, Robert,” Aaron smiled, “You’re freezing.”

Robert laughed against him as he stepped closer and kissed him on the cheek.

“Warm me up then,” he whispered.

“Stop it, Robert,” Aaron suddenly became serious. Robert stepped back to look at his lover in the face, keeping his arms around his neck.

“Talk to me,” Aaron said.

“That’s what Victoria told me to do too…” Robert sighed. “I guess I get jealous of the time you spend with Adam sometimes.”

“Why?” Aaron gave Robert a look that told him he was indeed being as ridiculous as he thought he was.

“Look at the time you spend together,” Robert moved his hands to Aaron’s chest. “I wanted to spend the night with you. Just you.”

Aaron responded with a short kiss to the lips, pulling Robert closer by the waist.

“You’re adorable. But you’re also a plank.”

“Thanks,” Robert said sarcastically, though they laughed together. “I’m sorry for being… a plank.”

“I’m sorry too. You made an effort to spend time with me and I… I’m crap at this stuff.”

“You’re not. You love Adam. For some reason.”

“As a friend. Very much as a friend.”

“I know,” Robert sighed “It’s just, when I don’t have as many people clambering to spend time with me, I get jealous of having to share you.”

Aaron wrapped his arms around Robert, stroking his fingers through his blond hair, and kissed him hard on the lips.

“Well, you don’t have to share me for the rest of the night.”

“Hmm, maybe another time.” Robert smiled into another kiss, their bodies pressing together. They wrapped up entirely in each other in the biting cold night, with only each other’s warmth. Robert moved his hands up Aaron’s shirt, stroking him then wrapping his arms around his back and holding him.

Aaron was the first to pull away, his hand still on Robert’s chest and their lips still barely an inch apart.

“We should probably-“

“Go inside? Yeah.”

Aaron took Robert’s hands from underneath his clothes and led him back inside, where they did spend the night and much of the morning alone together.


End file.
